*Talk a lot about the calendar and what day it is, what day it is going to be and what day it has been. Find important dates. Talk about days of the week, months, holiday, seasons, etc.

*Use any opportunity to count things. Ask more or less questions.

*Talk about ‘big numbers’. Use any opportunity to discuss numbers above 20.

Ask questions such as:

*why does it have a 5 in front? 56

*Why does it have a 6 in back?

*Is it bigger than___? Smaller than ___? How do you know?

*Add things together. Forks + spoons, Cats + dogs, etc.

*Subtract things

*Group things into tens and ones. See how many tens there are, and extra ones.

*Talk about time. Discuss how long an hour or half hour is and related it to an activity such as a T.V. program or a game of basketball. Discuss the time for things such as dinner and see how long until that will happen, or how long it has been. Talk about a.m. and p.m.

*Use coins to count money. Begin by using only one kind of coin. Then slowly add other kinds when your child is ready.

*Look for opportunities to sort things such as laundry and silverware.

*Look for patterns around you and talk about them.

*Look for ways to estimate things. You might say, “how many times can you sing Happy Birthday in one minute?” you might give them a handful of macaroni and ask them to estimate how many pieces there are.

*Send your child on a measuring hunt with a ruler.

*Talk about the shape and sizes of things around you. Compare them by finding things that are the same and things that are different.

*Put things in order like coins, objects going from littlest to biggest, etc.